It had been a long time since Inka had carried a child, but already she thought she could recognize the early warning signs. As of late, for instance, she had been as restless as a bird in a cage. The promise of smalltalk with the other Vulcans had been of little interest to her, and so she had spent most of her time constantly on the move, exploring every inch of the peak and even travelling back to the commons a handful of times in the hopes of running into someone she knew.

Sometimes, late at night when the stars spinning overhead made her feel small and insignificant, she even contemplated making the marathon swim to Luthien to meet with Valentine again. Perhaps, she mused, he could help cure her of some of her restlessness in the way only a stallion could.

Today, however, the Friesian mare awoke with zero desire to roam. Instead, as her eyes grew used to the wan winter light, she found herself brought nearly to tears by the beauty of the golden sunrise reflecting off the snowcapped hilltops.

Later, when she had worked the stiffness and cold from her bones, Inka travelled to the first place she had ever spoken to the prime minister: a long stretch of relatively flat land halfway up the mountain, where naked trees crowded the banks of a small, slow-moving river. Impazienza was not there – nor was anyone else – but Inka’s main priority right now was breakfast. Stretching her sinewy neck out over the water, she slaked her thirst before beginning to pull up tufts of yellowed grass that peeked out from between the rocks. It was a poor breakfast, but food was never at its most delectable during the coldest months.

The clack of hooves on loose rocks eventually drew her head upwards, and after swallowing her mouthful, she pricked her ears downstream to watch as a pale mare emerged into view from lower ground. Inka’s stomach flip-flopped at the resemblance the horse bore to someone she had once known, but as they came closer it became clearer that the stranger was too thickly-built, and not quite the right shade of cream... What’s more, she sported unusual white dots scattered across her body like flowers in a field.

She watched the mare for a few more moments before strolling forward a few paces to make up some of the distance between them. “Hello,” she called out with a dip of her head and a friendly smile. “I haven’t seen you around before.”